Bhubaneswar: Australia got the better of India in the opening ODI of the series, claiming a seven-wicket victory in a rain-affected encounter. The loss exposed cracks in India’s top order, leaving fans concerned ahead of the remaining matches.
Top Order Failure Puts India On Back Foot
Batting first, India struggled early, losing three wickets for just 25 runs in the first nine overs. Opener Shubman Gill managed only 10, Rohit Sharma scored 8, and Virat Kohli was dismissed for a duck. The early collapse put the middle order under immense pressure, and India could not recover to set a challenging total.
Gill Stresses Collective Responsibility
In the post-match press conference, Shubman Gill chose not to single out his senior teammates for the defeat. “When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you’re always trying to play a catch-up game,” Gill said. He emphasized that the responsibility was shared across the top order, putting himself, Kohli, and Rohit Sharma in the same boat.
Australia Secures Comfortable Win In Rain-Affected Match
Australia’s chase was briefly interrupted by rain, but the revised target under the DLS method was comfortably achieved. Mitchell Marsh led the way, remaining unbeaten on 46 as Australia wrapped up the victory with ease. The result ends India’s eight-match winning streak in ODIs, giving Australia an early 1-0 lead in the series.
India will look to regroup and address its top-order concerns ahead of the second ODI in Adelaide on October 23.
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